The Strathleven Artizans have transformed the John Connelly Centre in Renton to depict middle age royal hall

A historical group has recreated a medieval-style grand hall where they plan to host sumptuous banquets whilst educating residents in the area’s rich heritage.

Members of the Strathleven Artizans are transforming the John Connolly Centre in Renton into a magnificent space to promote the historical links between King Robert Bruce and the village of Renton.

School pupils will be invited to visit the grand hall and enjoy learning about their fascinating history by taking part in fun activities, such as archery and dressing up in medieval clothing.

The
grand hall is known as the main room of a royal palace, nobleman’s castle or a large manor house or hall house in the middle ages.

The
group has been painstakingly refurbishing the facility, formerly Ma Centre, decking it out with items depicting the middle ages, such as shields, and creating a grand fireplace.

Duncan Thomson, of the Strathleven Artizans, said: “We have been looking for a venue to transform into the king’s great hall.

“It
was in a terrible state when we moved in with paint flaking off the walls. We have done all of the work ourselves and we hope it will be a popular centre for history and heritage of the area.

“There’s
10 great big radiators on the walls and we have draped them with lovely
green material, lined the walls with large panels and put paintings of great warriors and shields on the walls.

“We’ve still got a bit of work to do including painting a map of Scotland showing

“We will be welcoming schools and have lots for them to do, including archery and getting dressed up in costumes.”

The
Artizans will host the hall’s grand opening on Saturday, March 29 and have a packed itinerary with invited guests including Lord Elgin, a descendant of Robert the Bruce, Lord Bruce and Lady Bruce.

The
group has a busy year ahead, including participating in the 700th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Bann­ockburn and carrying out an archaeological dig.

They have teamed up with Historic Scotland to reconstruct the throne of Robert the Bruce.

An
image of the wooden throne which the Bruce is believed to have used during his 23-year reign as king of Scotland in the 14th century is depicted on his official cast-metal seal, which he used to authenticate documents.

The group will now produce an interpretation of the throne based on the seal, which will be constructed using oak from across Scotland, including from the Bruce Oak – one of the largest and oldest trees in Scotland until it was
felled following a fire in 2005.

It stood on the Strathleven estate in Dunbartonshire, owned by the king around the time that the tree would have been a sapling.

Duncan
continued: “We have an archaeological dig in spring where we are hoping
to find the foundations of the great king’s manor house here in Renton and we are eventually hoping to rebuild it.

“We are about eight years into our 15-year programme.

“We found some foundations in 2008 but test results came back inclusive so we are going to try again.”